**Executive Summary**
Prasar Bharati’s WAVES OTT and PB-SHABD platforms have significantly expanded digital access to diverse Indian media content since their respective launches in 2024. As of March 18, 2026, the WAVES OTT platform has secured over 84 lakh registered users, while the PB-SHABD news service has extended its free-access period until March 2027. These initiatives aim to enhance audience engagement and ensure news dissemination in 15 Indian languages across the country.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**WAVES OTT Platform**
* Launched in November 2024 as a digital streaming hub for Prasar Bharati’s diverse content.
* Offers a wide range of media, including Radio and TV channels, web series, films, live events, educational programs, and cultural content.
* Features a large repository of archival material, including documentaries and television shows, which are being published in a phased manner to improve discoverability.
* Currently serves over 84 lakh registered users, with a wide reach extending to regions such as the Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh.
**PB-SHABD (Shared Audio-Visuals for Broadcast and Dissemination)**
* Launched in March 2024 to facilitate the dissemination of news across India.
* Provides news content in 15 Indian languages, including Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Dogri, and Urdu.
* The initial one-year free-of-charge access period has been officially extended until March 2027.
**Nationwide Accessibility**
* Both platforms ensure that regional and Hindi language content is accessible throughout India.
* Specific focus is placed on reaching remote areas, including the Surguja region of Chhattisgarh.
**Impact Analysis**
**Indian Citizens and General Users**
**Impact**
Users gain nationwide access to a vast digital library of entertainment, educational, and archival content in multiple regional languages. They also benefit from continued free access to news services.
**Action Required**
Interested individuals can register on the WAVES OTT platform and utilize the PB-SHABD services for news consumption.
**Prasar Bharati**
**Impact**
The organization has successfully transitioned its archival and current media assets to a digital format, resulting in high user engagement (84 lakh+ users) and improved content discoverability.
**Action Required**
Prasar Bharati must continue the phased publishing of archival programmes and maintain the service infrastructure for both platforms.
**Regional News Consumers**
**Impact**
Speakers of the 15 supported Indian languages can access verified news in their native tongue without cost for an extended duration.
**Action Required**
Consumers can continue to access these services free of charge until the newly extended deadline of March 2027.
Key Entities Referenced
Prasar Bharati: India's public broadcaster responsible for the launch and management of the WAVES OTT and PB-SHABD digital dissemination platforms.
WAVES OTT platform: A digital streaming service launched in November 2024 to disseminate diverse media including radio, TV channels, archival content, and educational programs.
PB-SHABD (Prasar Bharati – Shared Audio-Visuals for Broadcast and Dissemination): A news dissemination service launched in March 2024 providing news in 15 Indian languages, with free access extended until March 2027.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting: The primary central ministry overseeing public broadcasting and providing official updates regarding the progress of digital media initiatives.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
WAVES OTT Enhances Prasar Bharati’s Diverse
Content Offering; Platform Records Over 84 Lakh
Registered Users
Posted On: 18 MAR 2026 3:16PM by PIB Delhi
The WAVES OTT platform has been launched by Prasar Bharati in November, 2024 as a digital streaming
platform for dissemination of diverse content including Radio and TV Channels, TV shows, web series,
films, live events, radio services, cultural content, educational programmes and archival material of Prasar
Bharati. The platform has over 84 lakh registered users, including users from Chhindwara district of
Madhya Pradesh.
Prasar Bharati – Shared Audio-Visuals for Broadcast and Dissemination (PB-SHABD) was launched in
March 2024. It facilitates dissemination of news across the country in 15 Indian languages namely
Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi,
Tamil, Telugu, Dogri & Urdu. Initially, it was made available to users free of charges for one year, which
has been further extended till March 2027.
A large repository of archival content from Prasar Bharati, including television shows, documentary films
and other programmes, has been made available on the WAVES OTT platform. The publishing of archival
programmes is being undertaken in a phased manner to enhance discoverability and strengthen audience
engagement.
The WAVES OTT and PB-SHABD platforms provide access to a wide range of Prasar Bharati content,
including programmes and news in Hindi and various regional languages, which are accessible across the
country, including the Surguja region of Chhattisgarh.
The information was submitted today in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha by Dr. L. Murugan,
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs.
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Mahesh Kumar/ Vivek Vishwash
(Release ID: 2241710) Visitor Counter : 143
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